ASP.NET AJAX Using C#

Current Version: 4.6

Summary

This two-day course provides a practical introduction to developing
rich Internet applications using ASP.NET AJAX and C#. Because of the
extensive support provided by Microsoft's AJAX tools, an ASP.NET
programmer can get up and running in this new environment quickly. This
course shows the way. It is current to ASP.NET 4.5.1 and Visual Studio
2013. The course includes an introduction to the JavaScript library
jQuery UI and the open source components JuiceUI that encapsulate
jQuery UI widgets for use by ASP.NET programmers. The course assumes a
basic familiarity with JavaScript, which is covered in the one-day course 3201, Introduction to JavaScript and
jQuery.

The course begins with a discussion of rich Internet applications,
which include substantial client-side code, typically JavaScript.
Microsoft's AJAX tools are surveyed, and a simple AJAX application is
illustrated. Chapter 2 covers the AJAX Client Library, which simplifies
client-side programming with JavaScript extensions, a debugging trace
facility, and various API shortcuts. The next chapter covers partial
page rendering, which enables part of a page to be updated
asynchronously, resulting in an improved user experience. The next
chapter covers various techniques for making remote-method calls,
resulting in greater efficiency in an AJAX application. The next
chapter introduces the AJAX Control Toolkit, which provides many very
useful controls enabling sophisticated client-side effects with
relatively little programming.

The last chapter gives a brief introduction to the popular JavaScript
Library jQuery and then goes on to introduce jQuery UI, which provides
a collection of GUI widgets, animated visual effects and themes. The
chapter concludes with a discussion of JuiceUI, which is an open source
collection of Web Forms components that simplify the use of jQuery UI
widgets for ASP.NET programmers.

Numerous programming examples and exercises are provided. A case study
illustrates a number of features of ASP.NET AJAX working together. The
student will receive a complete set of notes and all the programming
examples.

Prerequisites

A good working knowledge of Web application development
using ASP.NET, Visual Studio and C#. The student should also have a
basic knowledge of HTML and JavaScript. Some familiarity with ADO.NET
would be helpful for understanding the case study and some of the
examples.

Course Objectives

On completion of this course, the student should be able to

Gain a thorough understanding of the philosophy and
implementation of rich Internet applications

Explain the benefits of AJAX in creating non-blocking and
interactive Web applications

Create visually rich and attractive Web applications with
controls in the AJAX Control Toolkit

Create interactive web pages using jQuery UI and JuiceUI.

Length

3 Days

Format

Instructor-led course, with practical computer-based exercises.

Course Outline

1. Rich Internet Applications and AJAX

Desktop Applications

Web Applications

Rich Client Applications

Using Plug-Ins

Using JavaScript

Asynchronous Communication

AJAX

Microsoft's AJAX Technologies

ASP.NET AJAX Enhancements

A Simple AJAX Application

2. ASP.NET AJAX Client Library

Components of Microsoft's AJAX Support

ScriptManager

Client-Side Page Lifecycle

Debugging Support

JavaScript Extensions

Object-Oriented Programming Support

Global API Shortcuts

Embedded JavaScript Resources

3. Partial Page Rendering

UpdatePanel Control

Update Modes

Triggers

Using a Timer

PageRequestManager

Partial Page Update Lifecycle

UpdateProgress Control

Limitations and Performance Issues

4. Remote Method Calls

Web Service Methods

Handling Errors

Using Context

Page Methods

JSON Serialization

ScriptMethod Attribute

5. AJAX Control Toolkit

Using ACT Controls in Visual Studio

Extender Controls

Use of Style Sheets

Page Layout Controls

Popup Controls

ACT Controls and Web Services

6. jQuery UI and JuiceUI

jQuery

jQuery UI

Juice UI

Using jQuery UI and JuiceUI

Appendix A. Learning Resources

Hardware and Software Requirements

Required software is Visual Studio 2013 and the LocalDB version of SQL
Server 2012 Express Edition (bundled with Visual Studio 2013). Use
either Visual Studio Professional or higher or else the free Visual
Studio Express 2013 for Web. The recommended operating system is
Windows 7. Several free downloads are also required. See the course
Setup Notes for details.

A good minimal hardware profile for this course would have a 1.8 GHz or
equivalent CPU, 2 GB of RAM, and at least 10 GB of free disk space for
tools installation and courseware.

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